UMIVEBSITY  OF  CALIFOBNIA  PUBLICATIONS 

COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL 
PERSIMMON 


BY 

I.  J.  CONDIT 


BULLETIN  No.  316 

December,  1919 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PRESS 

BERKELEY 

1919 


EXPERIMENT  STATION  STAFF 

Heads  of  Divisions 

Thomas  Forsyth  Hunt,  Dean. 

Edward  J.  Wickson,  Horticulture  (Emeritus). 

Walter  Mulford,  Forestry,  Director  of  Resident  Instruction. 

Herbert  J.  Webber,  Director  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

B.  H.  Crocheron,  Director  of  Agricultural  Extension. 
Hubert  E.  Van  Norman,  Vice-Director;  Dairy  Management. 

James  T.  Barrett,  Acting  Director  of  Citrus  Experiment  Station;  Plant  Pathology. 
William  A.  Setchell,  Botany. 
Myer  E.  Jaffa,  Nutrition. 
Charles  W.  Woodworth,  Entomology. 
Ralph  E.  Smith,  Plant  Pathology. 
J.  Eliot  Coit,  Citriculture. 
John  W.  Gilmore,  Agronomy. 
Charles  F,  Shaw,  Soil  Technology. 
John  W.  Gregg,  Landscape  Gardening  and  Floriculture. 
Frederic  T.  Bioletti,  Viticulture  and  Enology. 
Warren  T.  Clarke,  Agricultural  Extension. 
John  S.  Burd,  Agricultural  Chemistry. 
Charles  B.  Lipman,  Soil  Chemistry  and  Bacteriology. 
Clarence  M.  Haring,  Veterinary  Science  and  Bacteriology. 
Ernest  B.  Babcock,  Genetics. 
Gordon  H.  True,  Animal  Husbandry. 
Fritz  W.  Woll,  Animal  Nutrition. 
W.  P.  Kelley,  Agricultural  Chemistry. 
H.  J.  QuAYLE,  Entomology. 
Elwood  Mead,  Rural  Institutions. 
H.  S.  Reed,  Plant  Physiology. 
J.  C.  Whitten,  Pomology. 
IFrank  Adams,  Irrigation  Investigations. 

C.  L.  Roadhouse,  Dairy  Industry. 
R.  L.  Adams,  Farm  Management. 

F.  L.  Griffin,  Agricultural  Education. 
John  E.  Dougherty,  Poultry  Husbandry. 
S.  S.  Rogers,  Olericulture. 
L.  J.  Fletcher,  Agricultural  Engineering. 
Edwin  C.  Voorhies,  Assistant  to  the  Dean. 

Division  of  Citriculture 

j.  e.  coit  *i.  j.  condit 

R.  W.  Hodgson  J.  C.  Johnston 


t  In  co-operation  with  office  of  Public  Roads  and  Rural  Engineering,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture. 
*Re.signed. 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


BY 

I.  J.  CONDIT 


INTRODUCTION 

The  kaki  or  Oriental  persimmon  was  introduced  into  California 
about  1870  and  is  now  to  be  found  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  nearly 
every  county  in  the  state.  The  tree  is  easily  grown,  is  free  from  serious 
diseases  and  insect  pests,  and  is  in  most  cases  exceedingly  prolific.  The 
fruit  is  very  attractive  in  appearance,  ships  well  to  both  local  and 
distant  markets,  and  is  almost  universally  liked  if  eaten  in  the  proper 
condition.  Why  then  has  the  persimmon  remained  one  of  our  minor 
fruits  rather  than  taken  its  place  among  the  leading  fruits  as  it  has  in 
Japan?  Various  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  its  lack  of  popularity, 
chief  among  which  are  the  following:  the  general  lack  of  knowledge 
among  consumers  as  to  the  value  of  the  fruit  and  its  proper  condition 
for  eating;  the  failure  of  the  growers  and  the  marketing  agencies  to 
advertise  the  fruit  and  educate  the  public  in  regard  to  its  proper  use; 
the  grower's  lack  of  attention  to  the  subject  of  varieties,  pollination, 
natural  and  artificial  ripening;  the  failure  of  growers  to  develop  the 
industry  in  by-products  such  as  dried  persimmons.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  persimmon  culture  can  be  made  a  much  greater  industry 
in  California  if  some  of  the  points  just  mentioned  are  carefully  studied 
and  understood. 

According  to  the  census  report  of  1910  there  were  3,274  bearing 
trees  in  California  and  8,801  non-bearing.  In  1909  these  produced 
2,696  bushels  of  fruit  valued  at  $3,344,  an  insignificant  item  compared 
to  the  values  of  other  common  fresh  fruits.  That  the  interest  in  per- 
simmon culture  has  considerably  increased  during  the  past  decade  and 
especially  during  the  last  two  or  three  years  is  shown  by  the  larger 
plantings  and  by  the  numerous  requests  for  information  regarding  var- 
ieties, stocks,  and  cultural  methods.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  the 
present  acreage  since  the  trees  are  scattered  in  small  plantings.  Com- 
mercial orchards  are  located  at  Oroville,  Napa,  Vacaville,  Newcastle, 
Penryn,  Lemon  Cove,  Bakersfield,  Sanger,  Del  Rey,  San  Dimas,  Mon- 
rovia, Glendora,  Los  Angeles,  Orange,  Placentia,  Riverside,  and  Santa 
Barbara.     Orchards  larger  than  any  so  far  planted,  would  have  been 


232  UNIVERSITY  OF   CvVLIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

set  out  this  season  had  suitable  trees  been  available.  The  fruit  is 
shipped  to  eastern  markets  in  half-car  and  occasionally  full-car  lots 
and  is  becoming  better  known  to  consumers  each  season.  The  gross 
returns  per  acre  in  favorable  locations  show  a  handsome  profit  when 
compared  with  the  returns  from  some  other  deciduous  fruits.  While 
it  may  not  be  wise  to  develop  any  extensive  acreage  of  persimmons 
which  might  tax  the  capacity  of  the  markets,  a  steady  increase  is  cer- 
tainly justified  in  view  of  past  experience. 

HISTORY  (7)* 

The  persimmon  is  an  important  fruit  tree  both  in  China  and  in 
Japan.  In  northern  China  certain  valleys  are  entirely  given  over  to 
its  cultivation  while  on  the  main  island  of  Japan  groups  of  the  trees 
are  found  in  every  village  along  the  roadsides  or  in  odd  corners  around 
farmer's  cottages. 

It  is  probable  that  the  first  trees  of  the  kaki  grown  in  North  America 
were  from  seeds  obtained  in  Japan  and  sent  here  by  Commodore  Perry 
in  1856;  these  were  planted  at  the  Naval  Observatory  in  Washington, 
D.  C. 

The  first  fruits  were  produced  on  these  trees  in  1860.  No  seedlings, 
however,  were  distributed  and  none  propagated,  and  the  old  trees  died. 
Mr.  Wm.  Saunders  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  imported  a  lot 
of  seeds  from  Japan  in  1863.  The  seedlings  were  distributed  for  trial 
and  one  tree  at  least  bore  about  a  bushel  of  fruit.  In  1870  the  Depart- 
ment imported  a  lot  of  grafted  trees  of  naraed  varieties,  which  were 
distributed  in  California  and  the  Gulf  States.  The  Hachiya,  Tane- 
nashi,  and  Yemon  were  among  the  first  varieties  to  be  established  and 
the  nomenclature  determined.  Since  that  time  a  large  number  of 
importations  have  been  made,  not  only  by  the  Department  but  by 
nurserymen  and  growers  and  widely  disseminated  throughout  the 
Southern  States  and  in  California. 

In  1877  it  was  stated  in  the  California  Horticulturist  (2)  that  "there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  its  being  successfully  cultivated  in  most  parts  of 
California  and  it  has  already  fruited  with  large  and  handsome  specimens 
at  Col.  Hollister's  place,  Santa  Barbara.  Its  average  weight  given  is 
from  half  a  pound  to  over  a  pound.  Four  varieties  have  been  lately 
introduced  into  California,  both  in  the  south  and  at  Santa  Barbara." 
It  was  also  introduced  into  San  Francisco  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Loomis 
at  Trunbull's  Seed  Store,  421  Sansome  Street,  where  specimens  of 
tree  and  fruit  were  exhibited. 

*Numbers  in  parentheses  refer  to  bibliography. 


Bulletin  316  the  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  233 

The  Rural  New  Yorker  noted  about  the  same  date  that  this  per- 
simmon was  sent  to  the  United  States  by  Mr.  Thos.  Hogg  about  ten 
years  previous  and  was  being  offered  by  nurserymen  east  as  well  as  west. 

Yearly  importations  of  trees  from  Japanese  nurseries  were  made 
by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and  in  1878  a  large 
consignment  was  widely  distributed  in  California.  During  the  next 
twenty  years  the  demand  for  trees  stimulated  nurseries  especially  in 
the  Southern  States  to  propagate  the  persimmon  and  the  importations 
by  the  Department  were  greatly  curtailed.  The  introduction  of  promis- 
ing varieties  however,  has  continued  until  the  present.  Largely  as  a 
result  of  the  explorations  of  the  late  Frank  Meyer  in  China,  some 
valuable  varieties  have  been  secured  from  that  country  while  some 
choice,  non-astringent  varieties  have  been  introducted  from  Japan. 
These  have  been  grown  and  tested  at  the  Plant  Introduction  Gardens, 
Chico,  and  are  available  to  growers  who  desire  plants  for  trial. 

The  California  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  has  tested  out 
several  varieties  both  at  Berkeley  and  at  the  various  sub-stations.  It 
was  reported  as  early  as  1880  (4)  that  the  persimmon  ripened  fruit  at 
Berkeley,  but  the  fruit  was  of  small  size  and  astringent.  There  was 
on  hand  an  assortment  of  twenty  varieties  in  the  nursery.  At  the 
Jackson  sub-station  the  trees  were  found  to  be  healthy,  hardy,  and  seem- 
ed to  be  perfectly  adapted  to  the  poorest  soils.  They  made  a  brilliant 
display  of  color  for  several  months  as  the  fruits  hung  on  the  trees  until 
late  in  winter.  It  was  thought  at  the  time  to  have  little  commercial 
value  although  it  was  considered  excellent  for  home  orchards. 

The  few  trees  which  were  set  out  in  orchards,  however,  proved  pro- 
fitable as  shown  by  the  following  report  from  a  grower  at  Auburn  in 
1908:  ''Commission  merchants  in  San  Francisco  have  had  repeated 
calls  from  Hawaii  for  all  the  persimmons  that  they  could  obtain.  Seattle 
likewise -has  asked  San  Francisco  to  ship  them  large  quantities.  The 
few  that  I  grow,  I  ship  by  express  to  New  York,  packing  them  thirty 
in  a  box,  (one  layer)  and  get  $1.50  f.o.b.  the  depot  here.  I  repeatedly 
received  telegraphic  orders  for  more.  Single  trees  of  the  large  variety 
yielded  as  much  as  $13.75  besides  the  culls.  It  seems  the  variety  mostly 
inquired  for  is  the  Maru.  New  York  has  asked  me  to  grade  them  next 
season  and  pack  34,  38,  42,  and  46  in  cardboard  cartons  same  as  are 
used  for  eggs." 

During  recent  years  commercial  importations  from  Japan  have  been 
made  almost  entirely  by  Japanese  nurserymen  in  the  Bay  district  who 
redistribute  to  other  nurseries  upon  order.  California  nurseries  have 
not,  until  very  recently,  found  it  desirable  to  propagate  the  trees  in 
quantity.     Since  June  1,  1919,  however,  it  has  been  necessary  to  depend 


234  UNIVERSITY  OF  Cx\LlFORNlA — EXPERIMENT  STATION 

entirely  upon  home-grown  trees  as  Quarantine  Order  No.  37  of  the 
Federal  Horticultural  Board  forbids  further  introductions  from  foreign 
countries  of  nursery  stock  capable  of  propagation. 

Some  of  the  most  recent  studies  of  Japanese  persimmons  have  been 
made  by  S.  Fujii,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  California.  In  1915 
he  made  a  special  trip  to  Japan  to  study  varieties  and  collect  data 
regarding  the  industry,  his  notes  including  careful  illustrations  and 
descriptions  of  ninety  varieties  seen  in  private  as  well  as  in  experiment 
station  orchards.  He  also  imported  a  number  of  promising  varieties, 
many  of  which  are  growing  and  fruiting  at  the  University  Farm,  Davis. 

In  November  1918,  Quarantine  Order  No.  21  of  the  California  State 
Commission  of  Horticulture  was  amended  so  as  to  allow  importation 
into  this  state  from  certain  southern  states,  of  dormant  nursery  stock 
of  pear  and  persimmon  varieties  providing  a  permit  is  first  secured  from 
the  Commissioner's  office. 


BOTANY 

Persimmons  belong  to  the  Ebony  family  and  to  the  genus,  Diospyros, 
from  the  Greek  words  Dios  and  pyros,  alluding  to  the  life-giving  pro- 
perties of  the  fruit.  The  species  of  the  genus,  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  in  number,  are  widely  distributed,  mostly  in  tropical  countries 
of  both  hemispheres  with  a  few  species  in  temperate  regions.  The  trees 
produce  hard,  close-grained,  valuable  wood,  the  ebony  of  commerce 
being  obtained  from  different  tropical  species. 

The  trees  are  either  dioecious  or  monoecious,  the  staminate  flowers 
appearing  in  the  axils  of  leaves  of  the  previous  year ;  staminate  flowers 
smaller  than  the  pistillate,  commonly  in  three-flowered  cymes;  pistillate 
flowers  generally  solitary;  calyx  four-lobed,  the  lobes  contorted  in  the 
bud,  more  or  less  contracted  in  the  throat,  the  lobes  spreading  or  recurv- 
ed;  stamens  sixteen  to  twenty-four  in  number  inserted  on  the  bottom  of 
the  corolla  in  two  rows  and  in  pairs ;  filaments  free,  slender ;  anthers  oblong, 
the  cells  opening  laterally  by  longitudinal  slits ;  stamens  mostly  rudimen- 
tary or  wanting  in  the  pistillate  flowers  although  perfect  flowers  are  some- 
times found;  ovary  usually  four-celled,  each  cell  more  or  less  completely 
divided;  styles  four,  spreading,  two-lobed  at  the  apex;  stigmas  two- 
parted  or  lobed;  ovule  solitary  in  each  of  the  divisions  of  the  cells. 
Fruit  globose,  oblong  or  conical,  one-ten-seeded,  surrounded  at  the  base 
by  the  enlarged  persistent  calyx.  Seeds  pendulous,  oblong,  compressed; 
seed  coat  thick  and  bony,  dark,  more  or  less  lustrous. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


235 


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Fig.  1. — The  pistillate  or  female  flowers  of  the  persimmon  are  borne  singly 
in  the  axils  of  leaves  of  the  present  season 's  growth.  The  staminate  or  male 
flowers  are  commonly  in  clusters  of  three  on  separate  twigs  from  the  pistillate 
flowers.  Both  are  at  first  white  but  fade  to  creamy-yellow  and  eventually  to  a 
dark  brown. 


236  UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

NOTEWORTHY  SPECIES 

Diospyros  virginiana  (Common  American  Persimmon). — The  Ameri- 
can Persimmon  is  found  growing  wild  in  most  of  the  southern  states  and 
as  far  north  as  38°  latitude.  Little  attention  has  been  paid  to  it  as  a 
cultivated  plant  although  several  named  varieties  have  appeared  from 
time  to  time.  It  is  best  known  to  those  who  live  in  localities  where  the 
tree  grows  wild.  The  fruit  ranges  in  size  from  3^  to  2  inches  in  diameter, 
depending  largely  on  the  number  of  seeds  although  seedless  varieties 
an  inch  in  diameter  are  sometimes  found.  The  popular  belief  that  this 
fruit  is  not  edible  until  it  has  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  frost  is 
not  entirely  correct,  since  many  of  the  best  varieties  ripen  long  before 
the  appearance  of  frost ;  others  never  become  edible  being  so  exceedingly 
astringent  that  neither  sun  nor  frost  has  any  appreciable  effect  on  them. 

Sargent  gives  the  distribution  of  this  species  as  Connecticut  south- 
ward to  Florida  and  west  to  eastern  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  and  the  valley 
of  the  Colorado  River,  Texas;  very  common  in  the  south  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  states,  often  covering  with  shrubby  growth  by  means  of  its  stoloni- 
ferous  roots,  abandoned  fields  and  springing  up  by  the  sides  of  roads  and 
fences.  Descriptions  of  two  varieties  may  be  found  in  the  Yearbook  of 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1907.  Farmer's  Bulletin  685 
gives  an  excellent  account  of  the  native  persimmon.  Seedling  trees 
are  not  uncommon  in  California,  forming  thickets  in  some  neglected 
places;  used  for  ornamental  street  trees  at  Bakersfield. 

Diospyros  texana. — This  species  is  found  in  the  valleys  of  the  Colo- 
rado and  Concho  rivers,  Texas;  it  is  abundant  in  western  and  southern 
Texas.  The  fruit  is  exceedingly  austere  until  it  is  fully  ripe,  stains 
black,  and  is  sometimes  used  by  the  Mexicans  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  to  dye  sheepskins. 

Diospyros  ebenaster. — This  is  the  ebony  persimmon  of  Mexico,  the 
fruit  of  which  is  quite  black  so  that  unpoetical  observers  have  likened 
the  pulp  to  axle  grease.  It  is  excessively  sweet  to  most  tastes  but 
because  of  its  novelty  and  the  ease  of  its  culture,  it  is  certain  to  be  pro- 
pagated.    It  is  known  in  Mexico  as  Zapote  negro. 

Diospyros  lotus. — The  lotus  persimmon  grows  wild  here  and  there 
in  the  mountains  of  northern  China.  According  to  Meyer,  it  seems  to 
love  protected  rocky  situations  in  ravines  along  small  mountain  streams. 
The  trees  are  often  in  the  nature  of  large  shrubs  while  in  deep  soils  they 
develop  into  good-sized  trees  which  are  very  productive.  The  branches 
are  literally  covered  in  the  autumn  with  small  blackish  fruits,  the  size 
of  large  cherries,  which  are  edible  when  soft,  although  the  three  to  five 
seeds  leave  little  space  for  flesh.  The  fruit  is  sold  in  China  in  quite 
large  quantities,  being  frequently  offered  at  railway  stations  to  travelers. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


237 


It  is  stated  in  the  California  Station  Report  for  1882  (5)  that  D. 
lotus  does  exceedingly  well  in  California.  It  was  noted  to  be  a  fine 
ornamental  tree  marked  by  foliage  of  a  dark  bluish-green  color  with  a 
peculiar  luster. 


Fig.  2. — The  persimmon  tree  is  very  easily  top-worked  by  the  ordinary 
cleft  graft.  These  scions  show  one  year's  growth  on  a  four-year-old  American 
persimmon  root. 

The  trees  of  the  lotus  persimmon  are  dioecious,  the  male  flowers 
being  found  on  separate  trees  from  the  female.  Fruiting  specimens  are 
to  be  found  at  Chico,  Niles,  Elk  Grove,  Placentia,  Orange  and  Santa 
Ana.  At  the  old  N.  D.  Pierce  Gardens  and  at  a  neighboring  place, 
Santa  Ana,  the  fruits,  though  abundant,  are  always  seedless  on  account 
of  lack  of  pollination.  Seeds  are  in  considerable  demand  for  propagation 
purposes. 

Diospyros  kaki  (Kaki  or  Oriental  Persimmon). — This  species  has 
been  cultivated  in  China  and  Japan  for  hundreds  of  years  and  is  now  as 
common  in  those  countries  as  the  apple  is  in  the  United  States.     Since 


238  UNIVERSITY  OF   Cx\LIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

it  is  the  only  species  of  the  genus  which  is  being  grown  commercially  in 
California  the  remaining  part  of  this  bulletin,  unless  otherwise  stated, 
will  refer  to  this  species. 

The  characteristics  of  the  flowers  and  fruits  of  the  persimmon  must 
be  thoroughly  understood  in  order  to  appreciate  some  of  the  difficulties 
incident  to  crop  production  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  fruit  when 
produced.  It  has  long  been  known,  especially  in  Florida  and  other 
southern  states,  that  persimmon  trees  often  fail  to  set  fruit,  although 
an  abundant  crop  of  flowers  is  produced.  The  trees  may  produce  a 
good  crop  one  season  and  the  next  season  fail  entirely  although  climatic 
conditions  were  quite  identical.  In  1909  (18)  H.  H.  Hume  called  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  non-fruiting  was  due  to  lack  of  pollen. 

Seedling  trees  are  very  unreliable  in  the  production  of  blossoms, 
bearing  male  flowers  during  the  first  few  years,  then  a  small  proportion 
of  female  flowers,  while  later  the  appearance  of  male  flowers  is  sporadic 
on  some  trees  and  regular  on  others.  Both  male  and  female  flowers  are 
borne  on  shoots  of  the  current  season,  the  male  flowers  being  found 
singly  or  in  two  to  three-flowered  clusters  on  small  weak  twigs  while 
the  female  flowers  are  borne  singly  in  the  axils  of  leaves  on  neighboring 
shoots.  Perfect  flowers  are  occasionally  found  among  the  normal  male 
flowers,  usually  occupying  the  central  position  in  the  cluster  of  three. 
Both  kinds  of  flowers  are  yellowish-white  during  the  first  days  after 
opening  but  eventually  they  fade  and  change  to  a  purplish-brown  color. 
The  flower  stalks  are  persistent  remaining  on  the  tree  during  the  winter 
and  often  for  months  longer. 

Pollination  may  or  may  not  be  necessary  for  the  setting  of  persimmon 
fruits.  In  Florida  the  presence  of  staminate  flowering  trees  near  the 
pistillate  trees  seems  to  be  necessary,  bees  and  other  insects  taking  care 
of  the  pollination.  According  to  Hume  (25),  '^In  some  localities  pol- 
lenizers  may  not  be  necessary,  under  other  conditions  the  planting  of 
them  is  an  absolute  necessity,  making,  as  it  does,  the  difference  between 
success  and  failure  in  securing  crops  of  fruit  and  in  all  cases  the  presence 
of  pollenizers  is  an  insurance  against  unfruitfulness."  In  California, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  tendency  of  trees  of  most  varieties  is  to  over- 
bear and  we  have  little  evidence  which  would  lead  us  to  advocate  the 
planting  of  staminate-flowering  trees  to  induce  fruitfulness  in  commercial 
orchards.  The  failure  of  individual  trees  to  hold  their  fruits  may  be 
due  to  lack  of  pollination  although  isolated  trees  bearing  prolific  crops 
are  not  uncommon.  In  Orange  County  a  young  orchard  of  Hachiya 
trees  which  bear  only  pistillate  flowers,  produces  excellent  crops,  all 
the  fruit  being  seedless.  This  persimmon  is  comparable  in  a  way  to 
the  Washington  Navel  orange,  which  is  grown  to  perfection  in  California 
without  pollination  of  the  flowers. 


Bulletin  316  the  kaki  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  239 

Certain  varieties  of  D.  kaki  bear  both  staminate  and  pistillate 
flowers.  Some  bear  staminate  flowers  regularly  every  time  the  tree 
blooms,  while  others  produce  them  one  season  and  not  another, — in  fact, 
are  very  irregular  in  this  respect.  The  first  class  is  designated  by 
Hume  (26)  as  Staminate  Constants  while  the  second  class  of  staminate 
trees  is  called  Staminate  Sporadics.  Those  which  produce  only  pistillate 
flowers  may  be  referred  to  as  Pistillate  Constants.  To  this  latter  class 
belong  our  best  Oriental  persimmons,  the  Tanenashi,  Hachiya,  Hya- 
kume,  Tamopan,  and  Tsuru.  Among  the  Staminate  Constants,  two 
kinds.  New  Sien  and  Siang,  have  been  found,  both  having  been  secured 
in  China  by  Meyer.  The  Yeddo  Ichi,  Maru,  and  a  few  other  varieties 
not  definitely  named  bear  staminate  flowers  regularly  in  California.  The 
tree  referred  to  under  S.P.I.  No.  41456*  is  probably  only  one  of  numerous 
specimens  scattered  over  California. 

The  effect  of  pollination  upon  the  characters  of  the  fruit  is  interesting 
and  of  considerable  practical  importance.  Some  fruits  have  dark, 
reddish-brown  or  cinnamon  flesh  which  is  non-astringent  when  firm; 
others  have  light  flesh  which  is  generally  astringent  until  soft,  while 
still  others  have  a  mixed  proportion  of  light  and  dark  flesh  in  the  same 
fruit.  Seeds  always  accompany  the  dark  flesh  while  the  light-fleshed 
kinds  may  or  may  not  be  seedless.  The  amount  of  dark  flesh  is  governed 
by  the  number  and  position  of  the  seeds.  The  presence  of  one  seed 
usually  causes  a  darkening  of  the  flesh  adjoining  the  seed,  while  two 
contiguous  seeds  may  cause  the  flesh  of  one  half  the  fruit  to  be  darkened ; 
two  seeds  on  opposite  sides  of  a  small  fruit  may  cause  the  whole  flesh 
to  become  dark. 

A  Japanese  writer  has  classified  the  varieties  into  sweet  and  astrin- 
gent groups,  a  classification  which  is  entirely  unsatisfactory,  for  when 
varieties  in  the  sweet  group  are  seedless  they  fall  into  the  astringent 
group.  In  1904  (13)  Hume  classified  the  varieties  of  D.  kaki,  known  at 
that  time,  into  three  groups,  viz.:  light-fleshed,  mixed-fleshed,  and 
dark-fleshed  varieties.  This  system  of  classification  is  also  unsatisfac- 
tory since  color  of  flesh  has  been  shown  to  be  affected  by  pollination. 
The  flesh  characters  are  determined  by  the  pollination  factor  and  this 
factor  finds  its  most  striking  expression  in  the  color  and  texture  of  the 
flesh.  All  varieties  of  Oriental  persimmons  known  in  America  are  light- 
fleshed  when  seedless,  while  certain  varieties  always  show  darkening 
of  the  flesh  when  seeds  are  present,  and  other  varieties  are  always  light- 
fleshed  when  seeds  are  present. 


*S.P.I.  refers  to  the  numbers  of  the  Division  of  Foreign  Seed  and  Plant  Intro- 
duction, Washington,  D.C. 


240 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT  STATION 


Fig.  3. — The  amount  of  dark  flesh  in  a  persimmon  depends  upon  the  number 
and  the  distribution  of  the  seeds.  Four  seeds  in  the  Maru  (above)  make  the 
entire  center  dark  fleshed;  two  seeds  on  one  side  of  Yeddo  Ichi  (below)  makes 
only  one-half  the  flesh  dark. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


241 


Those  varieties  which  undergo  no  change  in  color  when  polHnated 
are  therefore  referred  to  by  Hume  (26)  as  Pollination  Constants,  and 
those  which  are  hght-colored  when  seedless  and  dark-colored  when 
seedy,  are  called  Pollination  Variants.  If  varieties  which  are  constantly 
dark-fleshed,  whether  seedy  or  seedless  should  be  found,  the  group  of 
Pollination  Constants  might  then  be  divided  into  two  groups  of  light 
and  dark-fleshed  Pollination  Constants. 

Examples  of  Pollination  Constants  are  Costata,  Hachiya,  Ormond, 
Tamopan,  Tanenashi,  Tsuru.  Examples  of  Pollination  Variants  are 
Maru,  Hyakume,  Okame,  Yeddo  Ichi,  Yemon,  and  Zengi. 


SABUROSA.     Natural  size. 
Fig.  4. — Some  varieties  of  Oriental  persimmons  have  characteristic  protuber- 
ances or  "seats"  under  the  calyx  lobes.     These  are  especially  prominent  in  the 
Saburosa,  a  variety  found  occasionally  in  California. 

Although  all  varieties  of  Oriental  persimmons  so  far  grown  in  the 
United  States  are  light-fleshed  when  seedless,  there  seem  to  be  occasional 
exceptions  to  this  rule.  Specimens  received  from  Oroville  in  December 
1918  for  study  were  entirely  seedless  and  yet  showed  some  cinnamon 
colored  flesh  in  two  of  the  fruits.  The  variety  was  referred  to  Tsuronoko 
but  this  identification  was  not  positive. 

Persimmons  vary  considerably  in  size,  shape,  color  of  skin  and 
flesh,  texture,  and  quality.  The  smallest  fruit  of  the  round  type  studied 
is  the  Galley  from  Florida  which  was  about  IJ^  inches  in  diameter; 
the  Zengi  from  Orange,  California  was  almost  as  small.  An  oblong 
fruit  known  locally  as  ''Acorn,"  on  account  of  its  shape,  averages  2}^ 
inches  long  and  li  inches  in  diameter.  Of  the  conical  persimmons 
the  Hachiya  produces  by  far  the  largest  specimens,  many  of  which 


242 


UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


weigh  a  pound  or  more.  Fruits  of  the  Tamopan  often  average  very 
large.  Specimens  of  a  similar  variety  grown  at  Elk  Grove  in  1918  were 
fully  six  inches  across  and  nearly  square. 

In  general,  persimmons  naturally  fall  into  three  groups  based  on 
shape;  the  conical,  the  round  or  spherical,  and  the  flattened  or  oblate. 
Some  persimmons  of  the  flattened  group  show  a  peculiar  constriction 
or  crease  around  the  middle  or  a  short  distance  above  the  base,  which, 
to  use  the  words  of  Mr.  Frank  Meyer,  who  introduced  them  from  China, 
''makes  the  fruit  look  as  if  two  fruits  had  been  joined,  or  as  if  it  had  been 


•Fig.    5. — Some    persimmons   have    a    structure   resembling   that    of    a   navel 
orange,  a  secondary  fruit  being  superimposed  on   or  within  the  primary. 

sat  upon."  This  constriction  is  very  propounced  in  the  Tamopan  and 
a  few  others  brought  in  under  S.P.I,  numbers,  and  serves  as  a  natural 
trademark  for  these  varieties.  Daruma  and  Naga-tsuba,  figured  in 
Japanese  publications  show  the  same  kind  of  constriction. 

Various  Japanese  persimmons  are  characterized  by  more  or  less 
conspicuous,  basal  lobes  or  ''seats"  under  the  sepals.  The  following 
varieties  figured  by  Japanese  writers  show  these  lobes  in  a  more  or  less 
pronounced  manner:  Deinukoroshi,  Futae  gaki,  Saburoza,  Nagatsuba, 
Maruza  or  Enza-gosho  and  Obishi.  Two  of  these,  Saburoza  and 
Enza-gosho  have  been  found  in  California.  Specimens  of  the  Tanenashi 
often  show  more  or  less  distinct  basal  lobes  which  are  sometimes  very 
conspicuous. 


Bulletin  316  THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  243 

Persimmons  are  often  creased  and  furrowed  lengthwise  by  four  or 
sometimes  eight  deep  or  shallow  grooves  which  are  usually  characteristic 
of  the  variety,  as  in  Yotsuwari  and  Yama  Yemon,  found  in  California 
and  in  various  kinds  figured  by  Japanese  writers.  Freak  specimens, 
including  double  and  triple  fruits,  are  common,  especially  on  seedling 
trees.  The  fruits  of  some  varieties  are  characterized  by  a  structure 
similar  to  that  of  the  navel  orange,  having  a  more  or  less  distinct  second- 
ary fruit  within  the  primary.  This  is  especially  pronounced  in  the 
variety  Futaye  or  Futaye-gaki,  the  Japanese  word  Futaye  meaning 
double. 

The  apex  of  persimmons  is  either  flat,  pointed,  round,  or  depressed, 
and  the  base  projecting,  flattened,  or  depressed  beneath  the  calyx  lobes. 

Ripe  persimmons  are  generally  very  attractive  in  color,  the  most 
fitting  descriptive  term  being,  tomato-red.  Their  resemblance  to 
tomatoes  is  often  so  noticeable  as  to  cause  new  comers  to  remark  upon 
the  wonderful  tomatoes  which  grow  on  trees  in  California!  The  shade 
varies  from  a  light  yellowish-red  in  Tanenashi  fruits  to  the  very  dark 
red  of  the  Saburoza  and  the  Yeddo  Ichi,  which  color  persists  after  ripen- 
ing. Some  fruits,  including  the  Hyakume  from  some  sections,  are  un- 
attractive on  account  of  the  brownish,  mottled  color  which  develops 
with  softening.  Many  varieties  are  characterized  by  the  presence  of 
fine,  penciled  lines  encircling  the  apex  or  extending  irregularly  down  the 
sides. 

The  flesh  of  most  persimmons  is  juicy  when  sufficiently  mature  to 
be  edible;  the  flesh  of  the  Tanenashi,  however,  is  peculiarly  dry  or  pasty 
so  that  it  can  usually  be  recognized  by  this  character  alone. 

The  season  for  persimmons  extends  from  October  until  January 
or  even  later.  The  fruits  of  many  varieties,  if  not  picked,  will  remain 
and  shrivel  up  on  the  tree  unless  attacked  by  birds.  Persimmons 
hanging  on  the  tree  after  all  leaves  have  dropped  is  a  characteristic  sight 
wherever  the  fruits  are  grown.  The  leaves  themselves  assume  a  beauti- 
ful yellow  or  scarlet  color  uncommon  among  other  California  fruit 
trees.  A  second  crop  of  small  fruits  is  common  on  the  trees  of  certain 
varieties,  notably  the  Maru  and  Hachiya,  in  Placer  County. 

ASTRINGENCY  IN  PERSIMMON  FRUITS 

The  astringency  of  the  unripe  persimmon  is  generally  supposed  to 
be  due  to  the  presence  of  soluble  tannin  in  cells  of  the  fruit.  The 
effect  of  this  tannin  is  not  noticeable  the  instant  a  piece  of  the  fruit 
reaches  the  tongue  as  it  requires  a  short  time  for  the  tannin  to  diffuse 
in  the  saliva;  its  puckery  effect  is  then  pronounced,  more  so  in  some 
varieties  than  in  others,  and  a  second  taste  of  such  a  persimmon  is  not 


244 


UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


usually  attempted.  As  the  fruit  matures,  however,  the  tannin  becomes 
more  and  more  insoluble  until  in  a  perfectly  ripe  specimen  it  is  no  longer 
perceptible.  On  account  of  this  fact  the  astringent  varieties  should  be 
perfectly  soft  before  an  attempt  is  made  to  eat  them.  This  conception 
of  ''soluble"  and  "insoluble"  tannin,  however,  is  inadequate  according 
to  recent  investigations.     The  tannin  bearing  cells  of  the  persimmon  are 


f 


Ye>mon      fF) 


T6(/r(/       (f) 


Sac/c 


^ac/ey      f/^J 


Scyc/^aki 


OAame       CF') 


7y/(//ripA    <0^ 


///aA^/7?e     (FJ 


//ac/?iya 


Fig.  6 — The  color,  shape,  size  and  surface  characters  of  the  seeds  are  fairly- 
characteristic  of  persimmon  varieties. 

scattered  in  strands  throughout  the  entire  flesh  excepting  the  gelatinous 
lining  of  the  seed  cavity.  The  tannin  is  associated  with  a  mucilage- 
like carbohydrate  which  coagulates  during  the  ripening  process  of  the 
fruit  and  absorbs  the  tannin  (20).  In  the  fruits  of  some  varieties  the 
absorbed  tannin  becomes  oxidized  and  red  in  color  when  the  tannin 
masses  can  be  readily  recognized. 

It  can  be  stated  in  a  general  way  that  all  the  dark  or  cinnamon- 
colored  flesh  of  persimmons  is  puckerless;  the  light-colored  flesh  may 
or  may  not  be  astringent.  Some  of  the  best  varieties  grown  in  Japan 
and  China,  such  as  the  Fuyu  and  Tamopan,  are  seedless,  light-fleshed 
and  puckerless.     According  to  Mr.  Meyer  the  non-astringent  varieties 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


245 


often  become  astringent  when  transplanted  to  other  localities.  The 
Tanenashi,  puckerless  around  Tokyo,  becomes  puckery  in  North  Hondo. 
The  Tamopan,  puckerless  in  China,  shows  considerable  astringency  in 
some  sections  of  Florida  and  California,  but  not  in  others.  The  Fuyu 
as  grown  in  California  so  far  is  non-astringent. 


Costata       (F) 


/furokt^ma. 


To  mop  an      (f) 


• 


Sfczng'  sAc  ^J& 


Yecfci^o  fc/ic 


Af{Jrado 


I 


Afari/ 


/iycz/rif/'/ie 


ruyt/ 


Fig.  7. — Persimmon  seeds.     Specimens  marked  (F)  were  grown  in  Florida. 

HORTICULTURAL  VARIETIES 

The  identity  of  the  different  varieties  of  Oriental  persimmons  has 
been  very  much  confused  ever  since  the  first  importations  were  made 
forty  years  ago.  Trees  were  propagated  in  Japan  and  exported  under 
wrong  labels  so  that  often  out  of  ten  trees  purchased  as  a  single  variety 
the  grower  discovered  he  had  a  half  dozen  or  more  distinct  varieties 
and  possibly  none  of  the  kind  he  expected.  Fruits  of  a  certain  tree 
would  be  seedless  one  year  but  seedy  and  dark-fleshed  the  following 
year,  a  circumstance  which  added  considerably  to  the  confusion  in 
nomenclature.  The  leading  commercial  varieties  have  been  given  names 
which  may  not,  however,  identify  the  fruit  with  the  same  variety  in 
Japan.  The  satisfactory  classification  suggested  by  Hume  (26)  will 
be  followed  here,  with  the  addition  of  descriptive  terms  which  may  be 
useful  to  the  practical  grower. 


246 


UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


HACHIYA 

Fig.  8. — The  largest  and  finest  conical  persimmon  grown  in  California  is 
the  Hachiya.  It  is  the  variety  most  favored  by  growers  for  commercial 
planting, 

I. — Pollination  Constants:  Fruits  always  light-fleshed,  whether  seedy  or 
seedless. 

a. — Conical  Type 

Hachiya, — Fruit  very  large,  oblong-conical,  usually  deep  orange-red,  very  at- 
tractive; surface  glossy;  flesh  astringent  until  soft,  sweet,  rich,  excellent  in  quality; 
usually  seedless;  the  leading  commercial  variety,  although  regarded  as  a  light  bearer 
in  some  sections;  often  bearing  heavily  in  alternate  years.  Season  medium. 
Especially  fine  in  Orange  County.  Colored  plate  and  description  in  the  Yearbook, 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1887,  p.  644.  Probably  identical  with  Fuji 
of  Japan. 


TANENASHI 
Fig.  9, — Next  to  the   Hachiya  the   Tanenashi  is  the   most  popular  variety 
being  grown  in  California  at  present.     The  flesh  is  peculiarly  dry  and  pasty, 
but  is  excellent  served  with  cream  and  sugar. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


247 


Tanenashi. — Fruit  large,  broadly  conical,  tapering  gradually  upward  from  near 
the  base;  color  light  orange-red;  surface  fairly  glossy,  smooth,  with  distinct  areola- 
tions  visible  through  the  skin;  flesh  astringent  until  soft,  characteristically  mealy 
or  pasty;  of  very  good  quality;  practically  always  seedless;  fruits  often  defective 
at  the  core,  with  an  opening  under  the  calyx  exposing  the  interior  to  dust,  dirt  and 
mold.  Season  medium.  Trees  bear  heavily  in  alternate  years.  Colored  plate 
and  description  in  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook  for  1887,  p.  644. 


TSUEU 
Fig.   10. — The   Tsuru  persimmon  is   commonly   cylindrical  and  much  longer 
in  proportion  to  its  diameter  than  any  other  variety.     It  is  usually  seedless  and 
is  always  light-fleshed. 

Tsuru. — Fruit  oblong-cylindrical  with  rounded  apex;  longer  in  proportion  to  its 
size  than  any  other  variety;  color  bright  orange-red,  attractive;  skin  smooth,  glossy, 


TAMOPAN 

Fig.  11. — The  Tamopan  persimmon  is  peculiar  in  having  a  constriction  or 
crease  extending  around  the  fruit  equatorially.  The  skin  is  thick  and  firm, 
«o  that  one  can  eat  the  flesh  with  a  spoon  from  the  half  shell. 


248 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


rather  thick,  granular;  flesh  astringent  until  soft,  often  failing  to  ripen  uniformly; 
quality  good;  usually  seedless.  Season  late.  Fruit  especially  sought  after  by 
Orientals.  Colored  plate  and  description  in  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook  for  1890,  p.  423. 
The  Costata  illustrated  and  described  in  the  Yearbook  for  1892,  p.  265;  the 
Ormond  (Yearbook  for  1912,  pp.  270,  271);  and  probably  the  Yama  Tsuru  (Year- 
book for  1891,  p.  387)  belong  to  this  group. 

h. — Flattened  or  Ohlate  Type 

Tamopan. — Fruit  very  large,  often  three  to  five  inches  in  diameter  and  sometimes 
over  a  pound  in  weight;  usually  more  or  less  quadrangular  with  a  prominent  equa- 
torial constriction  or  crease  below  the  middle;  color  light  reddish-orange  changing 
little  at  maturity;  skin  thick  and  tough,  enabling  one  to  eat  the  flesh  with  a  spoon 
from  the  half  shell;  flesh  light  orange,  very  juicy,  stringy,  mostly  astringent  until 
soft,  fairly  rich;  quality  very  good;  usually  seedless.  Season  medium.  Tree  hardy, 
vigorous,  productive.  First  introduced  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
from  China  in  1905. 


FUYU 

Fig.  12. — One  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most  promising  variety  from  Japan  is 
the  Fuyu  which  is  always  light-fleshed  and  perfectly  non-astringent.  Trees 
have  been  fruiting  for  a  number  of  years  at  the  Plant  Introduction  Gardens, 
Chico. 


Fuyu. — Fruit  medium  to  large,  indistinctly  quadrangular;  color  deep  tomato- 
red,  attractive;  surface  fairly  glossy;  flesh  light  orange,  fairly  rich;  perfectly  non- 
astringent  even  when  seedless  and  flrm;  quality  very  good;  seeds  few  or  none.  Above 
description  refers  to  fruits  produced  on  tree  at  Plant  Introduction  Gardens,  Chico, 
imported  under  S.P.I.  No.  26491.  A  very  promising  variety.  Fruits  of  S.P.I. 
No.  32868  are  very  similar  if  not  identical.  S.P.I.  No.  26733  has  fruited  in  Florida 
and  is  regarded  as  the  most  promising  variety  yet  tested.  Trees  of  the  same  number 
have  fruited  at  Mountain  View,  California,  the  fruits  being  entirely  non-astringent. 
It  was  introduced  under  the  name  Fuyugaki. 

Gosho. — Fruits  of  the  true  Gosho  have  not  been  studied  here  so  far,  although  trees 
have  been  introduced  and  they  may  have  fruited.  Japanese  specimens  are  described 
by  S.  Fujii  as  follows:  size  medium;  shape  oblate,  with  a  very  wide  and  deep  cavity; 
color  orange-red  when  fully  ripe;  flesh  light,  tender,  very  juicy  and  sweet;  seeds 
few;  quality  the  best  of  all  sweet  varieties.  Tree  rather  a  shy  bearer  in  Japan  but 
widely  planted  on  account  of  the  excellent  quality  of  the  fruit.  Originated  in  Gosho 
village. 

The  word  Gosho,  like  Maru,  is  commonly  used  as  a  suffix  to  variety  names  in 
Japan;  thus  Okugosho,  signifying  late;  Tenjin-gosho,  from  Tenjin  in  the  province  of 
Gifu;  Hana-gosho;  Tokuda-gosho;  and  others,  most  of  which  are  non-astringent. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


249 


The  varieties  Siang-shi-tse,  grown  at  Chico  under  S.P.I.  No.  21910;  the  Triumph 
illustrated  in  color  and  described  in  the  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook  for  1913,  pp.  119,  120; 
and  the  Maruza  or  Enza-gosho  found  in  the  Trapp  orchard  at  Los  Angeles,  belong 
here. 


II. — Pollination  Variants.- 
around  seeds. 


-Fruits  light-fleshed  when  seedless,  dark-fleshed 


a. — Conical  Type 

No  varieties  of  this  type  are  commonly  grown  in  California.  The  variety  known 
locally  in  Placer  County  as  ''Acorn,"  probably  identical  with  the  Japanese  variety 
Sokyu,  belongs  here;  also  Tsurunoko  grown  in  various  parts  of  the  state. 


G05M0 


TAMOPAh- 


TSUR 


HACt1\^A' 


n/\Ru-' 


MYAKUME 


ruYu  — ^ 


YEfiOri 


17^hEINA5HI% 


Fig.  13. — The  size  of  persimmons  depends  upon  the  amount  of  fruit  on  the 
tree,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  available  supply  of  moisture.  The  shape, 
however,  is  characteristic  of  the  variety  as  a  rule. 

b. — Round  or  Spherical  Type 

Hyakume. — Fruit  medium  to  large,  mostly  four-angled;  color  light  orange,  often 
mottled  or  dappled  and  unattractive  at  maturity;  brown  when  soft;  surface  glossy, 
usually  with  fine  russet  lines  around  the  apex  and  down  the  sides ;  flesh  dark  cinnamon 
color  when  seeded,  sweet,  moderately  rich;  quality  very  good;  keeping  quality  ex- 
cellent. Season  medium.  Colored  plate  and  description  in  the  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook 
for  1889,  p.  450. 

Maru. — Fruit  medium  with  a  broad,  rounded  apex;  color  orange-red,  attractive; 
surface  somewhat  glossy,  with  heavy  bloom ;  flesh  dark  cinnamon  when  seeded,  very 
sweet,  rich;  quality  excellent.  Tree  a  regular  heavy  producer  in  Placer  County; 
season  medium. 


250 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT  STATION 


The  name  Maru,  meaning  round,  is  used  as  a  suffix  of  several  variety  names  such 
as  Zengi-maru,  Daidai-maru,  and  Sagami-maru,  signifying  that  the  fruits  have  a 
general  roundish  form.  The  name  should  properly  be  used  therefore  as  a  type  rather 
than  a  variety  name.     The  same  is  true  of  the  name  "Kineri." 


Fig.  14. — Fruits  of  the  Hyakume  are  generally  large,  dark-fleshed  when 
seeded  and  of  good  quality  but  unattractive  in  color  and  appearance  when 
thoroughly  ripe.  The  trees  are  prolific,  however,  and  the  fruits  keep  remark- 
ably well.  The  variety  is  favorably  regarded  for  commercial  planting,  espec- 
ially in  Placer  County. 


MAEU 

Fig.  li). — The  word  ''Marn"  signifying  round,  is  a  common  suffix  to  variety 
names  in  Japan.  It  should  properly  be  used  to  deaignate  a  type  rather  than 
a  variety.     Trees  grown  under  this  name  are  common  in  Placer  County. 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


251 


Saburoza. — Fruit  small  to  medium,  characterized  by  four  prominent  lobes  or 
"seats"  extending  beyond  the  calyx;  color  very  dark  tomato-red,  very  attractive; 
surface  glossy;  flesh  very  dark  cinnamon  when  seeded,  sweet,  rich;  quality  excellent. 
Illustrated  and  described  in  the  California  Cultivator,  January  28,  1915. 

Zengi. — Fruit  small;  color  dark  orange-red,  attractive;  surface,  glossy,  often 
marked  by  russet  lines  around  the  apex;  flesh  very  dark,  almost  black  when  seeded, 
sweet,  rich;  quality  very  good.  Season  early.  Fruit  too  small  for  commercial  use. 
The  Gailey,  Taber's  129,  and  Myotan,  grown  in  the  southern  states  belong  to  this 
group. 

c. — Flattened  or  Oblate  Type 

Yeddo  Ichi. — Fruit  often  more  roundish  than  flattened,  medium,  apex  slightly 
depressed  at  center;  color  very  dark  tomato-red,  attractive;  surface  somewhat  glossy, 
usually  marked  with  fine  pencilled  lines  around  the  apex;  flesh  very  dark  cinnamon 
when  seeded,  sweet,  rich;  quality  excellent.  Colored  plate  and  description  in  the 
U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook  for  1889,  p.  450. 


Fig.  16. — The  Yeddo  Ichi  is  a  dark-fleshed  persimmon  of  excellent  quality 
but  rather  small  for  commercial  planting.  The  pencilled  lines  around  the  apex 
are  characteristic  of  seeded  specimens. 

Yemon. — Fruit  medium,  decidedly  flattened  and  quadrangular;  color  light  orange- 
red;  surface  somewhat  glossy  with  a  heavy  ashy-gray  bloom;  flesh  cinnamon  when 
seeded,  sweet,  fairly  rich;  quality  good.  Season,  late.  Tree  a  very  heavy,  regular 
producer.  Seedless  specimens  illustrated  in  color  and  described  in  the  U.  S.  D.  A. 
Yearbook  for  1887,  p.  644. 

The  Yama  Yemon  is  very  similar  to  the  Yemon,  but  generally  larger,  earlier, 
and  often  furrowed  on  the  four  sides. 


252 


UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


The  variety  Dai  Dai,  illustrated  in  color  and  described  in  the  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook 
for  1891,  p.  386,  is  seldom  found  in  California.  It  is  grown  at  Chico  under  S.P.I. 
No.  13835. 

The  Okame,  described  in  various  publications,  and  grown  in  many  sections  under 
the  name  "Mikado"  belongs  here. 

The  Yotsuwari,  grown  at  Newcastle  has  four  very  distinct  creases  or  furrows 
extending  upwards  from  the  base  dividing  the  fruit  into  four  fairly  even  sections. 

The  following  varieties  may  be  classified  here:  Godbey,  grown  at  Chico  under 
S.P.I.  No.  29329;  Suyugaki,  at  Chico  under  S.P.I.  No.  27034;  Kurokuma  at  Chico 
under  S.P.I.  No.  13841. 


Fig.  17. — The  Okame,  often  known  locally  as  the  Mikado,  is  one  of  the 
most  common  varieties  on  the  San  Francisco  market  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 
The  trees  are  very  prolific  and  the  individual  fruits  are  consequently  small  in 
size. 


CLIMATIC  AND  SOIL  REQUIREMENTS 

Many  of  the  first  Oriental  persimmon  trees  brought  to  the  eastern 
United  States  were  killed  by  the  winter's  cold,  and  the  early  accounts 
of  the  experimenters  with  trees  showed  conflicting  reports  regarding 
their  hardiness.  The  tree  is  not  hardy  at  Washington,  D.C.,  although 
occasional  trees  protected  by  buildings  may  be  found  as  far  north  as 
New  Jersey.  In  the  eastern  states  this  class  of  persimmon  can  not  be 
grown  successfully  much  north  of  Raleigh,  N.C.  The  tree  of  the 
Tamopan  which  has  been  reported  as  surviving  temperatures  several 
degrees  below  zero,  seems  to  be  injured  as  readily  as  trees  of  other  varie- 
ties grown  in  the  southern  states.     Various  accounts,  however,  show 


Bulletin  316  THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  253 

that  both  in  Japan  and  China  persimmon  trees  are  grown  successfully 
in  regions  where  zero  temperatures  or  lower  are  not  uncommon  and 
where  considerable  snow  covers  the  ground  in  winter.  In  general,  it 
can  be  stated  that  the  northern  limit  of  successful  growth  is  about  the 
same  as,  or  a  little  beyond  that  of  fig  trees.  Successful  fruiting  of  the 
fig  requires  considerable  summer  heat  and  dry  atmospheric  conditions 
which  accounts  for  the  poor  success  with  figs  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  San  Francisco  Bay.  Persimmon  trees,  however,  produce  well  along 
the  coast,  neither  the  foliage  nor  fruit  seeming  to  suffer  from  high 
humidity  or  cool  nights;  the  season  for  the  fruit  in  coast  districts  is 
naturally  later  than  in  the  interior  valleys.  Lateness  is  no  disadvantage 
however  and  may  be  a  distinct  advantage  in  marketing  the  crop  if  it 
can  be  held  until  other  fall  fruits  are  mostly  shipped. 

Persimmon  trees  thrive  and  bear  excellent  crops  in  the  hot,  dry 
valleys  of  the  interior.  It  is  reported,  however,  in  Circular  159  of 
this  station  that  persimmons  are  sensitive  to  the  dry  heat  of  Imperial 
Valley  and  young  trees,  if  not  protected,  are  easily  killed  by  sunburn. 
Mature  trees  in  Imperial  Valley  have  borne  fine  fruit,  which  seem  to 
lack  the  extreme  astringency  found  in  the  unripe  fruit  elsewhere. 

The  blooming  season  of  the  tree  is  sufficiently  late  to  escape  late 
frosts.  It  is  recorded,  however,  in  the  California  Experiment  Station 
Report  for  1897-8  (11)  that  the  persimmon  crop  was  a  failure  in  1898 
at  the  Jackson  Sub-station  on  account  of  frost  damage  to  the  flower 
buds.  Twice  during  the  last  ten  years  there  has  been  some  frost  injury 
to  persimmon  flowers  near  Newcastle  but  not  enough  to  destroy  the 
entire  crop. 

Broadly  speaking,  the  best  soil  for  the  Oriental  persimmon  is  a 
sandy  loam  of  open  texture  with  a  fair  amount  of  humus  and  good  drain- 
age. In  California  we  find  that  on  the  heavier  soil  types  the  persimmon 
grows  more  vigorously  and  taller,  while  on  the  light  sandy  soils  the 
growth  is  more  moderate  or  even  dwarfed  with  heavy  fruitage.  The 
fact  that  trees  are  thriving  in  a  wide  variety  of  soils  and  situations  in 
California,  shows  that  they  are  not  particular  as  to  soil  types.  The 
trees  are  often  planted  along  ditches  and  streams  where  they  often  do 
well  even  when  neglected.  The  current  idea  that  the  persimmon  tree 
thrives  on  low,  wet  soils  should  not  be  carried  to  such  an  extreme  as  to 
plant  orchards  on  swampy,  poorly  drained  land  where  spring  cultiva- 
tion is  impossible  as  it  is  doubtful  if  their  culture  would  be  profitable 
under  such  conditions. 

PROPAGATION  AND  STOCKS 

An  excellent  account  of  the  propagation  of  the  native  American 
persimmon  is  given  in  Farmer's  Bulletin  685,  U.  S.  D.  A.,  published  in 


254  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

1915  and  some  of  the  methods  are  apphcable  to  the  Oriental  persimmon. 
In  the  southern  states,  the  kaki  is  said  to  be  much  more  thrifty  and 
vigorous  on  seedHngs  of  the  native  persimmon  than  upon  its  own  roots. 

Some  nurserymen  use  root-sprouts  of  the  American  persimmon  for 
stock  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  are  less  productive  than  seedlings 
and  also  harbor  the  root  sawyer  insect.  The  general  practice  is  to 
graft  just  at  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  draw  earth  high  up  over  the 
juncture.  One  method  of  propagation  is  to  dig  up,  root  graft,  and  callus 
over,  almost  precisely  as  in  root-grafting  the  apple.  In  central  and 
southern  Florida  dormant  budding  has  been  favored. 

The  American  persimmon  stock  has  the  fault  of  sprouting  wherever 
the  roots  are  broken  by  tillage  tools  and  in  Texas  it  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  difficult  tasks  to  clear  a  piece  of  land  of  native  persimmon 
trees  as  every  little  piece  of  root  left  will  send  up  a  sprout.  Apparently 
no  serious  difficulty  has  been  experienced  either  in  Texas  or  Florida 
however,  with  the  suckering  of  the  native  stock  in  the  orchard. 

Some  nurserymen  in  California  gather  seed  from  trees  of  D.  Virgin- 
tana  which  fruit  abundantly  in  some  places,  and  work  the  commercial 
varieties  on  stock  grown  from  these  seeds.  Aside  from  the  fault  of  sprout- 
ing the  American  persimmon  makes  an  excellent  stock  in  California. 

Experience  in  Texas  indicates  that  seedlings  of  D.  texana  are  not 
satisfactory  for  stocks. 

Diospyros  lotus  as  stock. — According  to  Meyer  (21),  all  the  persim- 
mons in  northern  China  are  ring-budded  or  grafted  upon  a  species 
growing  wild  in  the  mountains.  ''As  a  stock,  this  persimmon  may  give 
to  its  grafted  host  a  much  longer  life  than  the  native  American  persim- 
mon seems  to  be  able  to,  for  in  China  all  the  cultivated  persimmons 
grow  much  older  than  they  do  in  America.  Of  some  varieties  there, 
one  finds  trees  grafted  on  this  D.  lotus  that  are  centuries  old  and  still 
very  productive.'' 

Experience  in  Florida  has  shown  that  the  lotus  stock  is  not  satis- 
factory there,  the  roots  rotting  off  in  damp  soils. 

Trees  of  the  lotus  persimmon  have  long  been  fruiting  in  California 
but  the  seedlings  have  not  been  largely  used  for  stock  until  recently. 
As  early  as  1882,  (5)  however,  the  California  Experiment  Station 
reported  that  as  a  grafting  stock  it  had  an  advantage  over  the  American 
on  account  of  a  far  better  root  system.  The  D.  kaki  root  has  proved 
unsatisfactory  at  Riverside,  not  over  one-third  of  the  original  planting 
having  survived;  the  young  trees  on  the  lotus  root  are  growing  thriftily. 

The  lotus  stock  is  preferred  at  the  Plant  Introduction  Gardens, 
Chico,  as  it  has  a  better  root  system,  is  much  easier  to  transplant  on 
account  of  the  numerous  fibrous  roots,  and  does  not  sucker  in  the  or- 
chard. 


Bulletin  316  THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  255 

A  successful  propagator  near  Placentia  uses  the  following  methods 
with  the  lotus  stock:  The  seeds  of  the  lotus  (often  called  Manchurian 
and  sometimes  Italian)  are  stratified  in  sand  one  inch  deep,  covered 
with  oiled  paper  and  kept  in  a  cool  place  until  spring,  when  they  are 
planted  out  in  nursery  rows.  It  is  very  important  to  shade  the  seed- 
lings from  sunburn  as  they  are  coming  out  of  the  ground.  The  sprout- 
ing is  similar  to  that  of  beans,  the  cotyledons  being  pulled  out  of  the 
ground  by  straightening  of  the  arched  hypocotyl  which  is  the  tender 
part.  The  seedlings  are  thinned  out  or  transplanted  so  as  to  stand  six 
to  eight  inches  apart  in  the  row  and  each  is  shaded  at  the  base,  usually 
with  a  lath.  A  few  of  the  largest  seedlings  may  be  budded  in  late 
summer  or  fall  but  grafting  in  late  winter  and  early  spring  gives  best 
results.  A  shallow  trench  is  dug  along  one  side  of  the  row  and  the 
larger  seedlings  cleft-grafted,  the  smaller  whip-grafted.  The  scions 
grow  rapidly  during  the  following  season  and  the  nursery  trees  are  sold 
at  one  year  of  age. 

ORCHARD  MANAGEMENT 

Planting  and  Care. — Some  varieties,  such  as  Costata  and  Maru,  are 
upright  in  habit  and  require  less  space  than  those  of  spreading  habit 
like  Tanenashi  and  Hachiya.  The  trees  may  be  set  in  February  or 
March  as  close  as  20  feet,  although  in  rich  deep  soil,  24  feet  is  better. 
The  deep  tap  root  of  the  American  persimmon  makes  careful  work  in 
transplanting  a  necessity.  The  trees  should  be  transplanted  when 
young  if  on  American  persimmon  root.  Since  the  trees  are  deciduous, 
balling  is  not  necessary  when  moving  them  from  the  nursery  to  the 
orchard,  but  the  bare  roots  should  be  protected  from  drying  out  by 
means  of  wet  straw  or  sacking.  All  mangled  or  injured  roots  should 
be  cut  back  to  sound  tissue  and  any  showing  root-knot  or  crown-gall 
should  be  discarded  and  burned. 

The  care  of  a  persimmon  orchard  will  not  differ  much  from  the 
care  of  other  deciduous  orchards.  Where  the  rainfall  is  less  than  twenty 
inches  the  trees  require  irrigation  water  in  amounts  sufficient  to  pro- 
duce vigorous  growth  and  to  bring  the  fruit  to  maturity.  Cultivation 
and  fertilization  will  have  to  be  regulated  to  meet  the  existing  soil 
conditions. 

Pruning  and  Top-working. — Persimmon  trees  which  are  unpruned 
and  the  fruit  of  which  is  not  thinned  have  the  habit  of  bearing  in  alternate 
years.  Two  villages  near  Tokyo,  Japan,  have  for  a  long  time  co-operated 
in  a  curious  manner  to  lessen  and  regulate  the  yield  in  order  to  avoid 
glutting  the  market.  In  one  of  the  villages  the  growers  ventured  to 
practice  the  removal  of  the  young  flowers  in  the  fruiting  year  and  thus 


256  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

encourage  a  crop  in  the  off  year.     In  such  a  way  the  trees  in  the  two 
villages  bear  in  alternate  years. 

Persimmon  fruits  are  produced  on  wood  of  the  current  season. 
Well-matured  shoots  of  moderate  length  which  have  remained  sterile 
during  the  current  season,  send  out  fruiting  wood  the  next  season.  Thus 
one  of  the  main  objects  of  pruning  should  be  to  encourage  this  type  of 
growth.  The  Japanese  method  is  to  prune  out  each  shoot  which  has 
borne  fruit  while  the  sterile  or  non-fruiting  ones  are  either  left  unpruned 
or  are  cut  back  so  as  to  fruit  the  following  season.  This  is  often  done 
at  the  time  of  gathering  the  fruit,  especially  with  the  astringent  varieties 
the  fruits  of  which  are  peeled  and  cured  in  the  sun. 

In  California  the  young  trees  should  be  headed  at  about  36  inches 
and  then  the  four  or  five  main  branches  should  be  properly  spaced  over 
the  upper  12  inches  of  trunk  rather  than  have  them  bunched  near  the 
top.  It  is  important  to  develop  a  strong  system  of  main  branches 
during  the  first  three  or  four  years  so  that  less  trouble  will  be  experienced 
later  in  propping  the  branches  and  keeping  them  from  breaking  down 
with  the  weight  of  the  fruit. 

It  is  no  more  difficult  to  top-work  persimmon  trees  than  other  com- 
mon fruit  trees.  According  to  Hume  (25)  ''it  is  quite  easy  to  bud  over 
branches  here  and  there  in  properly  placed  trees.  No  preliminary 
cutting  back  is  necessary  as  the  buds  may  be  inserted  where  the  bark 
is  anywhere  from  one  to  three  years  old.  The  work  should  be  done 
just  as  the  leaves  are  coming  out  in  spring,  using  the  ordinary  method 
of  shield  budding  and  tying  the  buds  in  place  with  waxed  cloth.  The 
wraps  should  be  left  on  about  three  weeks  and  as  soon  as  the  buds  have 
taken,  the  branches  should  be  cut  back,  leaving  stubs  five  or  six  inches 
long  to  which  the  shoots  from  the  buds  may  be  tied  as  they  grow  out. 
These  stubs  should  be  removed  at  the  end  of  one  season's  growth." 

In  California  budding  has  not  been  so  satisfactorily  or  so  commonly 
used  as  grafting.  In  various  parts  of  the  state  the  cleft  graft  has  given 
excellent  results  especially  with  young  trees.  Scions  of  the  desired 
variety  are  inserted  in  early  spring  in  clefts  of  the  stock,  split  for  the 
purpose,  and  all  exposed  ends  carefully  waxed  over.  Should  the  scions 
fail  to  grow,  buds  may  be  inserted  in  June  at  the  base  of  the  sprouts 
which  push  out. 

Thinning. — At  present  the  persimmon  market  offers  a  premium 
rather  than  a  discount  for  extra  large  sizes.  Systematic  thinning  of 
the  fruit  of  varieties  which  habitually  overbear  is  advisable.  This 
should  be  done  before  the  fruit  is  half  grown.  Thinning  also  relieves 
the  tree  of  its  excess  of  fruit  and  allows  it  to  store  up  sufficient  plant 
food  for  the  production  of  good  buds  for  the  following  season.  It 
may  thus  correct  the  habit  of  bearing  in  alternate  years  which  is  so 


Bulletin  316  the  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  257 

common  with  many  varieties.  The  trees  should  begin  to  bear  fruit 
the  third  year  in  the  orchard. 

Harvesting. — The  fruit  should  not  be  pulled  but  cut  from  the  twig 
with  clippers.  If  intended  for  a  distant  market  it  should  of  course  be 
gathered  when  mature,  but  still  firm.  Experience  will  soon  enable 
the  grower  to  judge  the  proper  degree  of  maturity  at  which  the  fruit  is 
ready  for  market.  It  must  be  well  colored  but  not  of  the  full  color 
which  develops  as  the  fruit  becomes  thoroughly  ripe.  The  color  develops 
first  at  the  apex  and  gradually  extends  toward  the  base,  and  picking 
should  not  be  done  until  the  basal  half  has  lost  most  of  the  green  color. 
The  fruit  should  be  carefully  handled  so  that  the  surface  is  not  bruised 
or  injured,  as  such  bruises  develop  into  dark  blemishes  which  greatly 
injure  the  appearance  on  the  market.  For  home  use  the  fruit  may  be 
allowed  to  become  mature  on  the  tree  although  it  is  likely  to  be  attacked 
by  birds  when  ripening.  A  good  plan  is  to  remove  the  fruit  from  the 
trees  when  fully  matured  and  allow  it  to  ripen  in  a  cool  cellar  or  closet. 
Another  satisfactory  plan  is  to  place  the  persimmons  in  layers  of  chaff 
or  fine  straw  in  boxes  so  as  to  exclude  the  light.  Such  fruit  will  ripen 
in  from  two  to  six  weeks  depending  upon  the  stage  of  maturity  when 
picked.  Fruits  which  are  picked  while  immature  are  liable  to  shrivel 
up  rather  than  to  soften,  especially  if  kept  in  a  dry  room. 

Most  varieties  of  persimmons  now  grown  commercially  are  astrin- 
gent until  soft,  the  fruit  being  allowed  to  ripen  on  the  fruit  stands  or 
in  the  home  of  the  consumer.  The  dark-fleshed  varieties  are  non- 
astringent  when  the  dark-flesh  is  present  but  it  is  practically  impossible 
for  either  the  grower  or  the  consumer  to  be  certain  that  the  individual 
fruit  at  hand  is  seedless,  light-fleshed  and  astringent,  or  seeded,  dark- 
fleshed  and  sweet,  until  the  fruit  is  cut.  The  great  desirability  either 
of  growing  non-astringent  varieties  or  of  removing  the  astringency 
from  the  fruits  of  varieties  now  being  grown,  is  evident.  Methods  of 
artificial  ripening  will  therefore  be  discussed. 

Processing. — Artificial  ripening  of  the  persimmon  has  been  practiced 
in  Japan  for  many  years.  The  first  reference  in  American  literature  to 
the  Japanese  method  is  found  in  the  California  Horticulturist  for  March 
3,  1877,  W.  E.  Griffin  stating  (2)  that  "the  most  luscious  Japanese 
persimmons  are  ripened  by  air-tight  enclosure  in  casks  containing  sake 
(a  kind  of  beer  made  of  rice)  which  in  two  or  three  weeks  perfects  a 
remarkable  flavor."  Reference  is  also  made  to  this  process  in  the 
California  Horticulturist  for  April,  1879. 

Dr.  Knapp  who  introduced  some  Japanese  persimmons  into  the 
United  States  in  1899  also  made  reference  to  this  method  of  processing 
but  curiously  enough,  little  attention  seems  to  have  been  paid  to  these 
early  accounts  by  American  growers.     In  1902  Mr.  Watrous  of  Iowa 


258 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


made  a  trip  to  Japan,  investigated  the  Japanese  method,  and  reported 
to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  the  details  of  the  process.  Sake  tubs 
or  casks,  in  which  rice  beer  has  been  stored,  are  used,  the  fruit  being 
placed  in  the  tubs  as  soon  as  emptied.  The  head  of  the  tub  is  immed- 
iately replaced  and  the  package  made  air-tight.  In  five,  eight,  or 
fifteen  days,  according  to  the  temperature,  the  fruit  may  be  removed 
in  a  firm,  sound  condition  and  shipped  long  distances,  but  with  the 
astringency  all  gone  and  the  flavor  fine. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Mr.  Geo. 
Roeding  of  Fresno  made  in  1905  the  first  trial  of  this  method  in  the 
United  States.  He  reported  (16)  that  he  was  astonished  to  see  how 
completely  the  bitterness  had  left  the  persimmons,  although  they  were 
just  as  hard  as  when  put  in  the  tub  eleven  days  before. 


Fig.  18. — Dried  persimmons  are  as  common  in  Japan  as  dried  apples  in  the 
United  States.  When  properly  dried  the  sugar  crystallizes  out  on  the  surface, 
making  a  white,  attractive  product. 


During  the  seasons  from  1907  to  1910  the  whole  subject  of  the 
growth  and  ripening  of  persimmons  was  investigated  (22)  (23)  by 
Messrs.  Bigelow,  Gore,  and  Howard  of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  and  by 
F.  E.  Lloyd  of  Alabama.  It  was  found  that  butter  tubs  whose  walls 
were  saturated  with  dilute  alcohol  were  found  to  serve  as  well  as  sake 
tubs  soaked  with  sake.  A  pad  of  paper  pulp  wet  with  25%  alcohol 
was  placed  in  the  upper  part  of  each  tub  but  the  persimmons  ripened 


Bulletin  316  the  kaki  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  259 

in  this  way  softened  during  the  process.  The  most  satisfactory  results 
were  secured  by  processing  in  an  atmosphere  of  carbon  dioxide  gas  for 
from  three  to  five  days,  the  fruit  becoming  non-astringent  while  re- 
maining firm.  Churn  barrels  were  found  satisfactory  containers  in 
the  south  while  at  Washington  a  special  metal  apparatus  was  per- 
fected for  processing  the  fruit  on  a  commercial  scale.  Carbon  dioxide 
was  passed  into  the  container  from  a  steel  cylinder  such  as  those  used 
at  soda  fountains.  Several  varieties  were  processed  on  a  large  scale 
in  Florida  and  subjected  to  a  shipping  test.  With  one  exception  (yellow- 
fleshed  Zengi)  processing  greatly  injured  the  naturally  excellent  shipping 
qualities  of  the  fruit,  and  it  was  therefore  regarded  as  practicable  only 
for  the  local  market.  We  do  not  know  of  any  attempts  to  com- 
mercialize this  process  either  in  Florida  or  California. 

For  home  or  local  use  persimmons  can  be  very  easily  and  cheaply 
processed  by  either  the  alcohol  or  the  hot- water  method.  A  five-gallon 
milk  can  or  an  air-tight  barrel  with  a  tight-fitting  cover  makes  a  con- 
venient receptacle.  Grain  alcohol,  one  pint  to  a  64-gallon  container 
should  give  good  results.  Hachiya  and  Tanenashi  persimmons  thus 
processed  in  1916  at  Newcastle  by  Japanese  growers  were  perfectly 
sweet,  excellent  in  quality,  and  firm  in  texture. 

Fruits  immersed  for  twelve  hours  in  warm  water  at  from  85°  to 
105°F.  will  lose  their  astringency. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  maturity  of  persimmons  on  the  tree 
may  be  hastened  by  mechanical  injury  such  as  insect  puncture  or 
stabbing  with  a  knife-blade  or  needle.  Running  a  knife  blade  into 
the  center  of  firm  persimmons  will  cause  the  fruit  to  ripen  quickly 
and  will  not  ordinarily  cause  it  to  decay.  The  astringent  fruit  may 
also  be  processed  by  pricking  it  several  times  with  a  common  needle 
dipped  in  alcohol  and  then  packing  in  straw  in  a  tight  box  or  container 
for  ten  days. 

Drying. — In  Japan  and  China  it  is  a  very  common  practise  to  dry 
persimmons,  the  product  forming  a  staple  food  article  which  is  used 
as  we  use  dried  figs.  In  the  U.  S.  D.  A.  Yearbook  for  1915  Meyer 
gives  an  account  of  the  extensive  dried  persimmon  industry  of  certain 
sections  of  China.  Sound  persimmons  of  astringent  varieties  are  picked 
with  a  T-shaped  piece  of  twig  attached  to  each  fruit,  and  peeled  by 
hand  with  a  small,  special  knife.  The  fruits  are  then  suspended  on 
strong  strings,  two  of  which  have  been  twisted  together;  beginning  at 
the  bottom  the  workman  slips  each  fruit  between  the  strings,  continuing 
until  the  whole  string  is  full  of  fruit.  The  strings  are  then  hung  in  an 
airy  room  open  on  one  side,  the  persimmons  drying  in  about  three 
weeks.  They  are  then  placed  in  heaps  for  a  few  days  and  covered  with 
matting  under  which  they  go  through  a  sweating  process  and  the  sugar 


260 


UNIVERSITY  OF   CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 


crystallizes  on  the  surface.  The  peelings  are  dried  separately  in  airy 
baskets.  Such  dried  persimmons  form  a  very  wholesome  article  of 
food  which  is  in  great  demand.  Japanese  in  California  have  dried 
persimmons  on  a  small  scale  but  no  attempts  have  been  made  to  improve 
or  commercialize  the  proces?. 

Experiments  on  the  drying  of  persimmons  in  a  steam-heated  evapor- 
ator are  reported  in  Bulletin  155,  U.  S.  D.  A.  Bureau  of  Chemistry. 
(23)  Tanenashi  fruits  peeled  and  sliced  with  nickel-plated  knives  became 
non-astringent  soon  after  placing  in  the  drier  and  produced  a  very 
attractive  product  of  excellent  quality. 

Packing  and  Marketing. — The  commercial  package  commonly  used 
for  California  persimmons  is  the  peach  box,  19^x12x5  inches  outside 
measurement.  When  packed,  these  boxes  average  18  pounds  in  weight, 
depending  upon  the  size  of  the  fruit  packed.  The  fruits  are  wrapped  in 
tissue  paper  and  placed  one  or  two  layers  deep  in  the  boxes. 


Fig.  19. — California  persimmons  are  generally  packed  in  the  ordinary  peach 
box  having  outside  measurements  of  19%xT2x5  inches  and  averaging  18  pounds 
in  weight.     The  fruits  in  the  upper  box  are  Ilyakume;  in  the  lower,  Tamopan. 

Most  growers  in  southern  California  depend  upon  the  local  markets 
to  handle  their  fruit.  The  Hachiya  has  been  returning  to  the  grower 
five  to  seven  cents  a  pound  during  recent  years.  The  Tanenashi  does 
not  sell  well  as  long  as  Hachiya  is  in  the  market  and  the  former  are 
often  placed  in  cold  storage.  When  the  two  varieties  are  on  the  Los 
Angeles  market  at  the  same  time  the  Hachiya  brings  two  cents  a  pound 


Bulletin  316  tjjj^  kaki  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  261 

more  than  the  Tanenashi.  Some  Hachiya  trees  at  Orange  bear  400 
pounds  of  fruit  annually.  A  grower  at  Monrovia  harvested  in  1918 
from  less  than  ninety  trees  about  eight  and  one-fourth  tons  of  fruit 
for  which  he  received  an  average  price  of  a  little  over  six  cents  a  pound. 
He  believes  the  Hachiya  on  lotus  stock  should  yield  fifteen  tons  of  fresh 
fruit  per  acre. 

On  the  San  Francisco  Commission  Market  in  November  1918  large 
Hachiya  and  Tanenashi  persimmons  were  in  good  demand  at  $1.50 
per  box.  Tsuru,  Mikado,  and  Maru  were  in  poor  demand  at  75  cents 
to  $1.00  per  box.  The  boxes  in  one  lot  consisting  mainly  of  Mikado 
and  Hachiya  ranged  from  18  to  21  pounds  per  box  in  weight. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  following  from  Bailey's  ''Annals  of 
Horticulture"  for  1892:  ''The  kaki  or  Japanese  persimmon  was  this 
year  shipped  to  Europe  from  California  for  the  first  time.  Five  car- 
loads were  sent  East,  a  portion  of  which  reached  London,  Liverpool, 
and  Glasgow.  Financially,  the  experiment  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  profitable,  but  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  so  soft  a  fruit  can  be 
carried  6,000  miles  successfully."  We  do  not  know  of  any  such  large 
shipments  in  recent  years.  The  fruits  were  probably  from  the  late 
Ellwood  Cooper's  orchard,  near  Goleta.  In  1891  Mr.  Cooper  shipped 
persimmons  to  the  coast  markets  in  pasteboard  cartons,  like  those  of 
an  egg  case,  each  fruit  being  wrapped  in  soft  paper  bearing  printed 
instructions  for  ripening  and  using. 

A  carload,  or  1240  boxes,  of  persimmons  grown  at  Santa  Barbara  in 
1917  and  shipped  to  Chicago  sold  for  $1,862.85.  The  freight  and  re- 
frigeration charges  amounted  to  $369.00,  leaving  a  net  return  f.o.b. 
of  $1,363.46,  an  average  of  $1.09  per  box.  Experience  of  the  same  ship- 
per with  better  varieties  in  good  condition  and  properly  graded  shows 
that  sales  will  generally  average  $1.40  to  $1.50  per  box  on  the  eastern 
market. 

Reports  from  Placer  County  show  that  usually  the  Hachiya  brings 
fifty  cents  a  box  more  than  other  varieties  although  in  1918  the  Hyakume 
and  Tanenashi  sold  equally  well.  During  the  1918  season  the  net 
returns  from  the  east  averaged  about  $1.75  per  box,  which  one  grower 
stated  was  about  double  the  returns  from  the  San  Francisco  market. 

Cold  Storage. — Cold  storage  of  the  persimmon  is  commonly  practiced 
in  Los  Angeles,  the  fruit  being  held  for  the  holiday  market  when  the 
demand  is  good.  Fruit  held  longer  than  the  holiday  season  is  liable  to 
move  slowly. 

Preliminary  experiments  on  the  cold  storage  of  persimmons  at 
Berkeley  showed  that  all  varieties  softened  much  more  quickly  at  36°  F, 
than  at  32°,  and  that  the  fruits  kept  best  at  30°.  Most  varieties  have 
a  tendency  to  shrivel,  especially  at  the  apex  and  the  use  of  wrapping 


262  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

paper  or  even  of  tight  paraffine  paper  bags  is  advisable.     The  following 
table  shows  the  comparative  results  with  the  different  varieties : 

Length  of  Time  in  Days 
In  Which  the  Fruit  Kept  in  Good  Condition 

Variety  30°  F.       32°  F.  36°  F. 

Hachiya  (Placer  County) 158  89  51 

Hachiya  (Orange  County) 141  63  34 

Tanenashi  (Placer  County) 170  98  30 

Maru  (Placer  County) 210  189  63 

Hyakume  (Placer  County) 210  148  63 

Mikado  (Placer  County) 210  118  30 

Tsuru  (Orange  County) 106  44  28 

The  best  keeper  in  the  32°  room  was  Mamegaki,  obtained  from  Chico 
under  S.  P.  I.  No.  13842.  It  kept  157  days  in  excellent  condition 
retaining  its  firmness  and  glossiness  throughout.  Specimens  of  the 
Tamopan  from  two  different  localities  unexpectedly  showed  poor  keeping 
qualities  at  all  three  temperatures. 

ANALYSES 

As  early  as  1877  Rev.  Henry  Loomis  sent  specimens  of  the  per- 
simmon to  the  California  Experiment  Station  for  analysis.  (3)  A 
sample  received  on  January  9,  1895  was  analyzed  with  the  following 
results:  Average  weight,  175  grams;  total  sugar,  18.2%.  The  sample 
contained  nearly  as  much  sugar  as  the  fresh  French  prune  with  18.5%, 
and  the  Adriatic  fig  with  19.2%  of  sugar  though  it  was  some  2%  below 
the  average  California  grape  in  this  respect.  It  was  much  sweeter 
than  the  apricot  with  sugar  at  11.1,  the  plum  with  12.89,  and  the  peach 
with  12.5%. 

Results  of  investigations  made  and  published  in  1903  by  the  Calif- 
ornia Experiment  Station  on  the  nutritive  value  of  the  persimmon  are 
shown  in  the  following  table : 

Analyses  of  Persimmons  Carbohydrates 

starch,      Crude 
PERCENT:  Refuse       Water    Protein     Fat  Sugar,  etc.    Fiber     Ash 

Large  Seedling,  edible  portion 77.04  1.61  .31  19.39  .93  .72 

Large  Seedling,  as  purchased 22.40  59.77  1.25  .25  15.05  .72  .56 

Tanenashi,  edible  portion 81.93  1.16  .55  12.81  2.93  .62 

Tanenashi,  as  purchased 1.88  66.53  .94  .45  10.40  2.38  .50 

Yemon,  edible  portion 81.66  1.32  .85  13.19  2.37  .61 

Yemon,  as  purchased 30.7  56.59  .92  .59  9.14  1.64  .42 

Average,  edible  portion 80.21  1.36  .57  15.13  2.08  .65 

Average,  as  purchased 23.97  60.96  1.04  .43  11.53  1.58  .49 

Notes  on  the  chemistry  of  the  persimmon  and  several  analyses  of 
American  and  Oriental  varieties  are  given  by  J.  B.  McBryde  in  1899 


Bulletin  316 


THE  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON 


263 


(12).  The  most  striking  thing  shown  is  the  large  amount  of  sugar  which 
is  all  in  the  form  of  glucose.  Thorough  tests  failed  to  show  a  trace  of 
cane  sugar. 


Fig.  20. — The  persimmon  is  well  adapted  to  cold  storage  and  can  be  held 
for  several  months  in  good  condition  if  kept  from  shriveling.  The  fruits  keep 
best  at  30  degrees  F. 

In  the  United  States  persimmons  are  as  a  rule  consumed  in  the 
fresh  state.  The  astringent  varieties  must  be  allowed  to  soften 
thoroughly  before  they  are  ready  for  eating.  On  account  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  peeling  such  soft  fruit  they  may  be  served  satisfactorily  at 
the  table  whole  or  in  half  and  the  flesh  removed  with  a  spoon.  Various 
recipes  for  puddings,  preserves,  and  other  preparations  are  sometimes 
offered  but  the  general  experience  seems  to  show  that  the  persimmon 
does  not  lend  itself  to  such  varied  dishes  as  do  most  other  common 
fruits. 


264  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

DISEASES  AND  INSECT  PESTS 

Persimmon  trees  are  singularly  free  from  serious  troubles.  There 
are  a  few  of  minor  importance,  however,  which  should  be  considered. 
A  die-back  of  the  trees  on  heavy  soil  in  Orange  County  is  probably  due 
to  soil  conditions  rather  than  to  any  specific  fungus. 

Crown  gall. — In  Japanese  nurseries  crown  gall  is  common  on  persim- 
mon stock  and  it  has  often  been  found  on  imported  trees.  At  Chico 
both  the  lotus  and  American  stock  have  been  affected  and  in  1918  the 
greater  part  of  the  trees  in  one  nursery  were  destroyed  owing  to  such 
infection.  The  only  recourse  in  such  cases  is  to  avoid  planting  in  in- 
fected soil. 

Several  other  serious  fungus  diseases  attack  the  twigs,  foliage  and 
fruit  of  the  persimmon  in  Japan  but  none  have  so  far  become  established 
in  California. 

Insects. — In  Japan  a  worm,  Kakivoria  flavofasciata,  analogous  to 
the  codling  moth  of  the  apple,  does  considerable  damage  in  some  dis- 
tricts. Sweet  varieties  are  more  subject  to  attack  than  astringent  and 
it  is  often  necessary  to  bag  the  fruit  to  insure  perfect  specimens. 

In  New  South  Wales,  Australia,  persimmons  were  at  one  time  quite 
largely  planted  near  Sydney  but  on  account  of  the  depredations  of 
fruit  flies  the  trees  were  grubbed  out.  In  recent  years,  certain  methods 
of  controlling  the  fruit  fly  have  been  developed,  and  persimmons  are 
again  being  planted.  These  two  records  of  insect  pests  emphasize  the 
need  for  strict  quarantine  measures  to  prevent  their  introduction  into 
California. 

The  most  serious  insect  pest  of  the  persimmon  in  the  Southern 
States  is  the  twig  girdler  Oncideres  cingulata.  Its  infestations  have 
deterred  some  people  from  planting  trees  extensively.  The  white  peach 
scale,  the  San  Jose  scale,  the  twig  girdler,  and  the  orange  white  fly 
attack  the  tree  in  Florida. 

A  few  trees  out  of  forty  thousand  imported  into  this  state  from 
Japan  early  in  1919  were  found  upon  inspection  to  be  infested  with 
the  eggs  of  the  Japanese  Cicada,  Mantis  eggs,  and  an  occasional  Pseudo- 
coccus.  The  trees  showing  infestation  were  destroyed.  Some  stock 
imported  under  permit  from  Florida  and  Texas  were  found  to  contain  a 
large  borer,  supposed  to  be  Sannina  uroceriformis,  and  the  trees  were 
also  destroyed. 

In  California  the  barnacle  scale  and  the  white  peach  scale  have  been 
found  on  the  persimmon  tree  but  neither  is  serious.  In  Placer  County 
the  attacks  of  a  larva,  probably  that  of  the  codling  moth,  causes  Maru 
fruits  to  ripen  and  drop  prematurely.  At  the  University  Farm,  Davis, 
the  larvae  of  the  red-humped  caterpillar,  Schizura  concinna,  appear  to 
\je  fond  of  persimmon  leaves  and,  unless  controlled,  defoliate  the  trees. 


Bulletin  316  the  KAKI  OR  ORIENTAL  PERSIMMON  265 


PERSIMMON    LITERATURE 


1.  1872,  W.  P.  H.,  The  Costata  Persimmon,  California  Horticulturist,  Vol.  2, 

p.  217. 

2.  1877,  Ed.,  Japanese  Persimmons,  California  Horticulturist,  Vol.  7,  pp.  69, 

73,  90,  237,  281,  376. 

3.  1877,  Colby,  G.  E.,  Analysis,  Report  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  University 

of  California  1877,  p.  61. 

4.  1880,  The  Japanese  Persimmon,  Same  report  for  1880,  p.  67. 

5.  1882,  lQ.ee,  W.  G.,  The  Lotus  or  Italian  Persimmon,  Same  report  for  1882, 

p.  102. 

6.  1886,  Saunders,  Wm.,  Early  History,  Report  of  the  U.   S.    Department    of 

Agriculture  for  1886,  pp.  692,  693. 

7.  1887,  Van  Deman,  H.  E.,  History  and  Varieties,  Report  of  the  Department 

for  1887,  pp.  642-645. 

8.  1891,  Same,  Kaki  in  Georgia  and  Florida,  Report  of  the  Department  for  1891, 

pp.  385-387. 

9.  1894,  Price,  R.  H.,  Varieties,  Bulletin  32,  Texas  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

10.  1897,  Saunders,  Wm.,  Japan  Persimmons,  Yearbook,  U.  S.  D.  A.  for  1897, 

pp.  187. 

11.  1897,  Shinn,  C.  H.,  Persimmons,  15th  Report  of  the  California  Agricultural 

Experiment  Station,  p.  320. 

12.  1899,  Watts,  R.  L.,  American  and  Japanese  Persimmons,  Tennessee  Experi- 

ment Station,  Bulletin,  Vol.  XI,  No.  1,  pp.  191-219  McBryde,  J.  B., 
Notes  on  the  Chemistry  of  the  Persimmon. 

13.  1904,  Hume,  H.  H.  and  Reimer,  F.  C,  Japanese  Persimmons,  Bulletin  71, 

Florida  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  pp.  69-110. 

14.  1906,  Howard,  B.  J.,  Tannin  Cells  of  the  Persimmon,  Bulletin  of  the  Torrey 

Botanical  Club,  Vol.  33,  p.  567. 

15.  1907,  Burnett,  F.  H.,  Japanese  Persimmons,  Bulletin  99,  Louisiana  Agricultural 

Experiment  Station,  23  pp.  13  figs. 

16.  1907,  Roeding,  Geo.,  Unpuckering  Persimmons,  Pacific  Rural  Press,  p.  333, 

Nov.  23,  1907. 

17.  1909,  Onderdonk,  G.,  Persimmon  in  Texas,  Bulletin  9,  Texas  Department  of 

Agriculture,  p.  43. 

18.  1909,  Hume,  H.  H.,  Nonfruiting  of  Japanese  Persimmons  Due  to  Lack  of  Pollen, 

Science  n.s.,  Vol.  30,  p.  308. 

19.  1941,  Lloyd,  F.  E.,  Tannin,  Colloid  Complexes  in  the  Fruit  of  the  Persimmon, 

Biochemical  Bulletin,  Vol.  1,  pp.  7-41. 

20.  1911,  Lloyd,  F.  E.,  Behavior  of  Tannin  in  Persimmons — Plant  World,  Vol.  14, 

pp.  1-14. 


266  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT  STATION 

21.  1911,  Meyer,  F.  N.,  Persimmon  in  North  China,  Bulletin  204,  Bureau  of  Plant 

Industry,  U.  S.  D.  A.  pp.  10-16. 

22.  1911,  Gore,  H.  C,  et  al.,  Experiments  on  Processing,  Bulletin  141,  Bureau  of 

Chemistry,  U.  S.  D.  A. 

23.  1912,  Gore,  H.  C,  et  al..  Large  scale  experiments  on  processing,  notes  on  the 

preparation  of  dried  persimmons,  Bulletin  155,  Bureau  of  Chemistry, 
U.  S.  D.  A. 

24.  1913,  Hume,  H.  H.,  The  Flowers  of  Diospyros  kaki,  Transactions  Academy 

Science,  St.  Louis,  Vol.  XXII,  No.  5,  pp.  125-135  plates. 

25.  1914,  Hume,  H.  H.,  Planting  Persimmons,  Journal  of  Heredity,  Vol.  5,  No.  3, 

pp.  131-138. 

26.  1914,  Hume,  H.  H.,  A  Kaki  Classification,  Journal  of  Heredity,  Vol.  5,  No.  9, 

pp.  400-406. 

27.  1914,  Hume,  H.  H.,  Effect  of  Pollination  on  the  Fruit  of  Dospyros  kaki,  Pro- 

ceedings of  the  Society  for  Horticultural  Science  for  1913,  pp.    88-93, 
March  1914. 

28.  1915,  Fletcher,  W.  F.,  The  Native  Persimmon,  Farmer's  Bulletin  685,  U.  S. 

D.  A.,  Illustrated. 

29.  1916,  Lloyd,  F.  E.,  The  Red  Color  of  the  Mesocarp  of  Seeded  Fruits  in  the 

Persimmon,  Plant  World,  Vol.  19,  No.  4,  pp.  106-113. 


STATION  PUBLICATIONS  AVAILABLE  FOR  FEEE  DISTRIBUTION 


BULLETINS 


No. 
168. 

169. 
174. 
185. 

208. 
216. 

230. 
242. 
250. 
251. 


252. 
253. 

255. 
257. 
261. 

262. 

263. 
264. 
266. 


267. 
268. 
270. 


271. 
272. 
273. 

274. 

275. 

276. 
277. 
278. 
279. 
280. 


No. 
50. 
65. 
69. 
70. 

76. 
82. 

87. 
107. 

109. 


110. 
111. 

113. 
114. 
115. 
117. 

124. 
126. 
127. 


Observations  on  Some  Vine  Diseases 
in   Sonoma   County. 

Tolerance  of  the  Sugar  Beet  for  Alkali. 

A  New  Wine  Cooling  Machine. 

Report  of  Progress  in  Cereal  Investi- 
gations. 

The  Late  Blight  of  Celery. 

A  Progress  Report  upon  Soil  and  Cli- 
matic Factors  Influencing  the  Com- 
position of  Wheat. 

Enological  Investigations. 

Humus  in  California  Soils. 

The  Loquat. 

Utilization  of  the  Nitrogen  and  Organio 
Matter  in  Septic  and  Imhoff  Tank 
Sludges. 

Deterioration  of  Lumber. 

Irrigation  and  Soil  Conditions  in  the 
Sierra    Nevada   Foothills,    California. 

The  Citricola  Scale. 

New   Dosage   Tables. 

Melaxuma  of  the  Walnut,  "Juglans 
regia." 

Citrus  Diseases  of  Florida  and  Cuba 
Compared  with  Those  of  California. 

Size  Grades  for  Ripe  Olives. 

The  Calibration  of  the  Leakage  Meter. 

A  Spotting  of  Citrus  Fruits  Due  to  the 
Action  of  Oil  Liberated  from  the 
Rind. 

Experiments  with  Stocks  for  Citrus. 

Growing  and  Grafting  Olive  Seedlings. 

A  Comparison  of  Annual  Cropping,  Bi- 
ennial Cropping,  and  Green  Manures 
on  the  Yield  of  Wheat. 

Feeding  Dairy  Calves  in  California. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

Preliminary  Report  on  Kearney  Vine- 
yard Experimental  Drain. 

The  Common  Honey  Bee  as  an  Agent 
in  Prune  Pollination. 

The  Cultivation  of  Belladonna  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  Pomegranate. 

Sudan  Grass. 

Grain   Sorghums. 

Irrigation  of  Rice  in  California. 

Irrigation  of  Alfalfa  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley. 


No. 
281. 

282. 

283. 
284. 
285. 
286. 
288. 

290. 

292. 

293. 
296. 
297. 
298. 
299. 

300. 
301. 

802. 

303. 
304. 

305. 

306. 
307. 
308. 


309. 

310. 
311. 
312. 
313. 

314. 
315. 
316. 
317. 

318. 


Fumigation   Scheduling. 

The  California  Insecticide  Law. 

The  Extermination  of  Morning-Glory. 

Observations  on  the  Status  of  Corn 
Growing  in  California. 

Hot  Room  Callusing. 

The  Common  Ground  Squirrels  of 
California. 

Alfalfa. 

Spraying  Walnut  Trees  for  Blight  and 
Aphis  Control. 

Community  or  Local  Extension  Work 
by  the  High  School  Agricultural  De- 
partment. 

Green  Manuring  in  California. 

The  Use  of  Lime  and  Gypsum  on  Cali- 
fornia  Soils. 

Correspondence  Courses  in  Agriculture. 

Increasing  the  Duty  of  Water. 

Grafting  Vinifera  Vineyards. 

The  Selection  and  Cost  of  a  Small 
Pumping  Plant. 

Alfalfa  Silage  for  Fattening  Steers. 

Spraying  for  the  Grape  Leaf  Hopper. 

House  Fumigation. 


CIRCULARS 

No. 

128. 
129. 
130. 
131. 
133. 
135. 
136. 
137. 
138. 
139. 


140. 


142. 

143. 

144. 
147. 
148. 
151. 
152. 


Control  of  the  Pocket  Gopher  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Trials  with  California  Silage  Crops  for 
Dairy  Cows. 

The  Olive  Insects  of  California. 

Irrigation  of  Alfalfa  in  Imperial  Valley. 

The  Milch  Goat  in  California. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

Potash  from  Tule  and  the  Fertilizer 
Value  of  Certain  Marsh  Plants. 

The  June  Drop  of  Washington  Navel 
Oranges. 

Green  Manure  Crops  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

Sweet   Sorghums  for  Forage. 

Topping   and  Pinching  Vines. 

The  Almond  in  California. 

Seedless  Raisin   Grapes. 

The  Use  of  Lumber  on  California 
Farms. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

California  State  Dairy  Cow  Competi- 
tion,  1916-18. 

Control  of  Ground  Squirrels  by  the 
Fumigation  Method. 

Grape  Syrup. 

A  Study  on  the  Effects  of  Freezes  on 
Citrus  in  California. 

The  Influence  of  Barley  on  the  Milk 
Secretion  of  Cows. 

Almond  Pollination. 

Pollination  of  the  Bartlett  Pear. 

I.  Fumigation  with  Liquid  Hydrocianic 
Acid.  II.  Physical  and  Chemical 
Properties  of  Liquid  Hydrocianic 
Acid. 

I.  The  Carob  in  California.  II.  Nutri- 
tive Value  of  the  Carob  Bean. 

Plum  Pollination. 

Investigations  with  Milking  Machines. 

Mariout  Barley. 

Pruning  Young  Deciduous  Fruit 
Trees. 

Cow-Testing  Associations  in  California. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

The  Kaki  or  Oriental  Persimmon. 

Selection  of  Stocks  in  Citrus  Propaga- 
tion. 

The  Effects  of  Alkali  on  Citrus  Trees. 


Insecticide  Formulas. 

The  Control  of  Citrus  Insects. 

Cabbage  Growing  in  California. 

Spraying  for  Control  of  Walnut  Aphis. 

County  Farm  Adviser. 

Official  Tests  of  Dairy  Cows. 

Melilotus  Indica. 

Wood  Decay  in  Orchard  Trees. 

The  Silo  in  California  Agriculture. 

The  Generation  of  Hydrocyanic  Acid 
Gas  in  Fumigation  by  Portable 
Machines. 

The  Practical  Application  of  Improved 
Methods  of  Fermentation  in  Califor- 
nia Wineries  during  1913  and  1914. 

Practical  and  Inexpensive  Poultry 
Appliances. 

Control  of  Grasshoppers  in  Imperial 
Valley. 

Oidium  or  Powdery  Mildew  of  the  Vine. 

Tomato  Growing  in  California. 

"Lungworms". 

Feeding  and  Management  of  Hogs. 

Some  Observations  on  the  Bulk  Hand- 
ling of  Grain  in  California. 


CIRCULARS— Continued 


No.  No. 

153.  Announcement  of  the  California  State  184. 

Dairy  Cow  Competition,  1916-18.  185, 

154.  Irrigation  Practice  in   Growing   Small 

Fruits  in  California.  187. 

155.  Bovine  Tuberculosis.  188. 

156.  How  to  Operate  an  Incubator.  189. 

157.  Control  of  the  Pear  Scab.  190. 

158.  Home  and  Farm  Canning.  191. 
160.  Lettuce  Growing  in  California.  193. 
162.  White    Diarrhoea    and    Coccidiosis    of  195. 

Chicks. 

164.  Small  Fruit  Culture  in  California.  197. 

165.  Fundamentals   of    Sugar   Beet   Culture 

under  California  Conditions.  198. 

166.  The  County  Farm  Bureau.  199. 

167.  Feeding  Stuffs  of  Minor  Importance.  200. 

168.  Spraying     for     the     Control     of     Wild 

Morning-Glory  within  the  Fog  Belt.  201. 

169.  The    1918   Grain   Crop.  202. 

170.  Fertilizing     California     Soils     for    the 

1918   Crop.  203. 

172.  Wheat  Culture.  204. 

173.  The    Construction    of    the    Wood-Hoop 

Silo.  205. 

174.  Farm  Drainage  Methods.  206. 

175.  Progress  Report  on  the  Marketing  and  207. 

Distribution  of  Milk.  208. 

176.  Hog  Cholera  Prevention  and  the  Serum 

Treatment.  209. 

177.  Grain    Sorghums.  210. 

178.  The  Packing  of  Apples  in  California.  211. 

179.  Factors   of     Importance   in    Producing  212. 

Milk  of  Low  Bacterial   Count.  213. 

181.  Control     of      the     California     Ground  214. 

Squirrel. 

182.  Extending  the  Area  of  Irrigated  Wheat  215. 

in  California  for  1918.  216. 

183.  Infectious  Abortion  in  Cows. 


A  Flock  of  Sheep  on  the  Farm. 

Beekeeping  for  the  Fruit-grower  and 
Small  Rancher  or  Amateur. 

Utilizing  the   Sorghums. 

Lambing  Sheds. 

Winter  Forage  Crops. 

Agriculture  Clubs  in   California, 

Pruning  the  Seedless  Grapes. 

A  Study  of  Farm  Labor  in  California. 

Revised  Compatibility  Chart  of  Insecti- 
cides and  Fungicides. 

Suggestions  for  Increasing  Egg  Produc- 
tion in  a  Time  of  High-Feed  Prices. 

Syrup  from  Sweet  Sorghum. 

Onion  Growing  in  California. 

Growing  the  Fall  or  Second  Crop  of 
Potatoes  in  California. 

Helpful  Hints  to  Hog  Raisers. 

County  Organization  for  Rural  Fire 
Control. 

Peat  as  a  Manure   Substitute. 

Handbook  of  Plant  Diseases  and  Pest 
Control. 

Blackleg. 

Jack  Cheese. 

Neufchatel  Cheese. 

Summary  of  the  Annual  Reports  of  the 
Farm  Advisors  of  California. 

The  Function  of  the  Farm  Bureau. 

Suggestions  to  the  Settler  in  California. 

Saving  Raisins  by  Sulfuring. 

Salvaging  Rain-Damaged  Prunes. 

Evaporators  for  Prune  Drying. 

Seed  Treatment  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cereal  Smuts. 

Feeding  Dairy  Cows  in  California. 

Winter  Injury  or  Die-Back  of  the  Wal- 
nut. 


